Research and development efforts in the industrial adhesives industry are increasingly focused on high performance adhesives that are effective at extreme temperature ranges. Wedge Impact Peel resistance is a critical criterion for high strength structural adhesives for substrates such as HDG and aluminum, at temperatures as low as −40° C. Developing adhesive compositions that demonstrate peel resistance over a wide temperature range, while additionally maintaining toughness and stability (shelf life) is particularly desirable.
However, the price of raw materials used in many manufacturing processes continues to rise, particularly those whose price rises or falls with the price of oil. Because of this, and because of the uncertainty of oil reserves, raw materials derived from renewable resources or alternative resources are being considered in many manufacturing processes. An increase in demand for environmentally friendly products, together with the uncertainty of the variable and volatile petrochemical market, has promoted the development of raw materials from renewable and/or inexpensive sources.